A Fan in the Sun
by EmbraceDiversity
Summary: A collection of stories involving the fledgling Uchiha clan. Takes place after the events of A Traitor Branded. OC's and NG galore. Image by Kivi1230.
1. Introduction

**Introduction**

I figure a small intro would help folks who are a bit confused upon stumbling across this fic.

If you have **NOT** read 'A Traitor Branded': It's not essential to reading 'A Fan in the Sun', but it helps a lot. These drabbles are based off of that storyline. Note that it _is_ a two-year-old fic, however, and there will be numerous grammar mistakes. Most noticeable are verb tenses. Reading 'Autumn Light' is also helpful, as it introduces the character Mitsuaki. In fact, I should probably just move that little fic over here.

If you **HAVE** read 'A Traitor Branded': This is a series of drabbles which take place after the events of the main story. I will try and keep them in chronological order as much as possible. The original sequel, 'Cursed Lineages' has been deleted due to a number of reasons, but I'll give a summary of events here so that people who read the chapter titled 'Cursed Lineages' will understand it.

**(Complete)Summary of Cursed Lineages**

It's been 10 years since Otogakure has been established, and seven year old Mitsuaki Uchiha has mastered the Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu and is eager to show his father. After a clan meeting, which introduces the Oto major clans, Mitsuaki is able to show Sasuke, who is very proud of his son. Their day quickly turns sour, when unknown enemies attack and poison Mitsuaki. Sasuke kills the intruders and manages to get his son to the hospital in time, only to learn that Hinata is having difficulties with her current pregnancy and has also been hospitalized. This puts Sasuke into freak-out mode, but Neji is there to reassure him. Sakura is called in from Konoha to treat Mitsuaki, as the poison is extremely rare and Oto's hospital is ill equipped to deal with the problem.

Neji and Sasuke quickly deduce that one of the clans has to be behind the attack but there is currently no proof of wrongdoing. Meanwhile, Sakura calls in aid from Suna for some rare books and ingredients. Gaara's wife and medical shinobi Momiji volunteers to go personally, even in light of the knowledge that she's pregnant(she was once proclaimed incapable of having children, so this comes as a shock to both her and the Kazekage).

Meanwhile, Sakura evaluates Hinata, and reassures her and Sasuke that Mitsuaki will be fine (and also that he has a fanclub in Konoha, much to Sasuke's horror). Momiji arrives, and the two put their heads together to come up with a cure for Mitsuaki. While researching, Momiji comments on Hinata's condition (her body isn't producing enough chakra for her and the twins), and when Sakura makes mention of there being a Hyuuga curse, Momiji points out a disturbing fact.

Sasuke and Neji later pull aside one of the clan leaders for questioning, and Sasuke, in an effort to keep everyone off guard, pretends he's becoming unhinged again (see: A Traitor Branded). This prompts the council later to convene behind Sasuke's back, and Neji gains some insight on the dissention between the clans and their feelings toward Sasuke as leader of Otogakure.

Kenkai, Akina(Naruto/Sakura's children) and Teru (Neji/Tenten's daughter) manage to sneak into the Uchiha compound to visit Mitsuaki. Sasuke catches them, but when Kenkai stands up to him, he allows the children to stay for a little while, as long as they don't aggravate his condition. Meanwhile, Neji becomes closer to ferreting out the suspicious clans when a member approaches him and tries to place the blame on two other clans. He calls her out on the lie.

Sakura and Momiji give Hinata a medicinal treatment to help her replenish her chakra, and instructs her not to eat anything except what is given to her by the two of them as part of her special diet. While the story does not reveal this initially, this is due to their belief that she is being deliberately poisoned by someone in the estate. Mitsuaki finally awakens, and he and Sasuke have a father/son moment. Shortly after, Momiji gives Sasuke and Hinata a status report on Mitsuaki. His heart has been badly damaged, but with rest, rehabilitation, and no strenuous activity or stress, he will make a full recovery and even be able to become a shinobi with no issues. She leaves the couple and recons with one of her escorts and former teammates, the Suna ANBU captain Shinryo Masaki, who informs her that something much more than clan dissention is going on.

Neji then elaborates in private conference with Naruto and Sasuke. Groups of rogue mercs, established after the major nations achieved peaceful relations are looking at possibly taking over Otogakure, which is the smallest nation out of the others. Naruto offers to send some manpower and Sasuke accepts, since if the clans are against him, he cannot trust his own shinobi to defend the village.

Mitsuaki later is approached by Kenkai and Akina Uzumaki, much to his chagrin, and after they annoy him enough, he kicks them out. Sasuke returns, and after they have a talk, go and visit Hinata.

Tensions escalate when the council member that had gone to visit Neji turns up dead. Reports of the merc group pop up more and more frequently. With Shinryo and Neji working undercover in their own ways, more and more signs begin to point to two specific clans. Anko takes a special team out to intersect some of the merc groups, and the Ino-Shika-Cho team arrives in time to really begin the interrogation in earnest.

A note is delivered to Sakura, asking for her and Momiji to meet the stranger at a specific time and place. When they arrive, a young man in an Oto chunnin vest awaits them, clearly perturbed. He warns them that someone from Sasuke's past wants him and his family dead, but that someone from the Hyuuga family is trying to kill Hinata and her children. Before they can ask him any further questions, he runs away, and they're confronted by Hinome, Mitsuaki's nanny, who attempts to poison and kill them. She ends up only managing to knock them out, and takes a suicide pill.

Somehow, the merc group manages to invade Oto from the inside, and they quickly discover the culprit is the Komatsu clan head, along with the head of the merc group who seems to have a heavy personal grudge against Sasuke. As they fight, Sasuke learns that the leader of the merc group is one of the two boys he saved in 'A Traitor Branded' whose family he had murdered during the war. Neji dispatches the Komatsu clan head and Sasuke kills the merc. The Komatsu clan head confesses that she also lost much due to Sasuke and Orochimaru during the war, and swears that they met before, but Sasuke cannot recall, and calls her a liar, since he doesn't ever forget faces. She also confesses that she wanted to rule Oto, and felt she would rule it better than the men, and she had promised the mercs anything they wanted in the village as long as they allowed her complete control. Sasuke kills her as well.

Anko reports in that the other merc groups are being handled, points out how the main mercs were able to get in, and also reports that the Uchiha estate went dark. The next fic goes over the final events.

**Aftermath: **The Komatsu clan is disbanded, anyone who wishes to remain must swear fealty to the Otokage and is placed on a five year probation period. Some Konoha shinobi remain for a bit longer, although the Hokage and Sakura return to their village, as do the Suna entourage. The young chuunin who warned Sakura and Momiji turns out to be the other boy Sasuke encountered all those years ago, but he claims he wishes to live peacefully in the village. Sasuke doesn't trust him, but Hinata convinces him to give the boy a chance. A year and a half later, Hinote, their first daughter and last child, is born.


	2. Cursed Lineages

**Cursed Lineages**

"This is justice, Hinata-sama." Hyuuga Egumi said, his white gaze focused on the syringe in his hand. The machines keeping a steady track of the young Uchiha matron's vitals beeped and chirped, the only sound in an otherwise silent bedroom. Hinata laid in bed, eyes closed and body weakened by the drugs he'd been having Hinome feeding her slowly throughout her pregnancy. Wizened hands hovered near the IV, his body trembling as the last stages of his revenge were finally in sight.

"Had you taken the Hyuuga clan," Egumi continued, gravelly voice trembling with contempt. "I might have changed my mind about this. You were so different from the elder and your father. You wanted to change the Hyuuga, make it so that branch members like myself and Hinome never have to go through what we were forced to suffer. The cycle could have ended with you. I could have stopped _punishing_ your line for letting our unborn child die, for the death of my first wife!"

He almost shook her then, wanting her to awaken, to _see_. But she would understand in the afterlife, when his beloveds passed judgment on her as they undoubtedly had the others.

"You only have yourself to blame." he whispered, his hand taking hold of the IV feed while the other readied the syringe for injection. "If you hadn't married that traitor and betrayed your clan, this wouldn't have happened. I would have stopped. You could have been spared." With a world-weary sigh, he slid the needle in.

Only for sharp pain to lance up his left calf. A hot a fierce ache that had him staggering back with a strangled cry, one hand slapping over a newly inflicted wound. Warm, rich liquid trickled down his leg to soak in his sandal and Egumi eyes flew wildly around the room in search of the perpetrator. His mind raced, panic and fear flooded his system for a brief moment at the chance of discovery, until he spotted not a guard or even - gods forbid - Uchiha Sasuke himself. Although the eyes he met were crimson, they were also large and underdeveloped, a child's eyes.

"Ah," Egumi managed to twist his lips into an insincere smile, his milky white eyes bright with barely contained malice at the hybrid. A tiny hand clutched his chest, just above the heart, while the other held a white-knuckled grip on a kunai. "Mitsuaki-kun." he greeted with false cheer and the boy's eyes narrowed as he inched closer to his mother's bedside.

"You..." Mitsuaki swallowed down a coughing fit, holding the kunai protectively in front of him, uncaring of the blood dripping from the blade's tip. "You stay the _hell_ away from my okaasan." With considerable effort, the boy reached up and snatched the syringe down, crushing the contents beneath his foot. His heated gaze flashed from black to red, sweat beading his brow as he struggled to calm the erratic beating of his damaged heart with slow, calming breaths. "Come near her again...and I'll...I'll kill you."

Such words coming from a seven-year-old only made the elderly Hyuuga chuckle low. "Don't think that just because you caught me off guard that you can beat me, child. I was once an elite, and you're nothing. Look, I'll prove it to you." by now he had used enough healing chakra to stand and took one step forward.

"Don't!" Mitsuaki attempted to warn, but the word stopped short on his lips as a coughing fit broke free.

Egumi wasted no time, rushing forward to close the distance, unmindful of the machinery he knocked over in the process. He slapped the kunai out of the child's hand while his other hand snapped around a thin neck. A savage grin split along his leathery skin as he lifted Mitsuaki in the air, enjoying the way pale cheeks flushed red as the tiny body struggled in his iron grip. With his free hand, he slammed his fist against the side of the boy's head. Once, twice, pure unadulterated glee cracking his features.

Even through the pain, Mitsuaki, in one fluid motion, snatched the kunai holstered behind his back and jammed the pointed end through the underside of Egumi's wrist. His teeth bit through the inside of his cheek as he fought back waves of nausea, his unoccupied hand clamped down firmly on the elder's arm to drive the kunai deeper through flesh and bone. His bloodstained teeth flashed in a feral grin at the satisfying howl that erupted from his assailant, and he let go right as Egumi flung him aside. Air left his lungs in a rush as his back hit the wall, and black spots danced in front of his vision.

"You little bastard!" the old man's voice sounded very far away. "I'll -"

"Hakke Kūshō!" a burst of carefully controlled, but powerful chakra rushed past Mitsuaki, slamming into the enemy. Egumi's body crashed through the two neighboring rooms and bounced twice through the estate's halls before skidding to a stop some thirty feet away. Fighting to keep his chest from bursting and his vision from blacking out at the same time, Mitsuaki's gaze snapped over to the bed and he started at the sight before him.

Uchiha Hinata had risen from her bed, standing as tall and fierce as he had ever seen her before. The woman with her soft smiles and gentle kisses remained, Mitsuaki could clearly tell this _was_ his mother, but a hard edge had emerged. Her skin had an unnaturally pale pallor, appearing damp and clammy with her bangs clinging in wet clumps. White eyes tinted with lavender were narrowed and slightly unfocused, her chapped lips were parted and she clearly seemed to have difficulties breathing. Still, even with her pregnant belly forcing her to keep her center of gravity low, his mother's juuken stance was absolutely flawless, and never in his life had he ever seen her emit the amount of confidence and determination she showed right then and there.

"Aki-kun," she called, her voice still as kind as he remembered, but her hardened gaze remained on Egumi as he struggled to stand. Where were all the guards? "Aki-kun?" she called again, but her words refused to register in his dazed state, and he only stared at her dumbly. "Mitsuaki." his head finally snapped up at her warm but firm tone, and her desire for a response finally sank in.

"Okaasan?" His mouth trembled around the word, still unsure if he was dreaming.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-yes." The lie came easily, because his pregnant mother stood before him, looking strong and tough even though he knew she probably wasn't, and his pride as an Uchiha refused to allow him to admit weakness when another suffered worse than he.

The corners of her mouth twitched upward in a knowing smile before melting back into her determined mask. "Aki-kun, you've done well, but okaasan will protect you now. This man will not touch you again."

She said the words with such absolute conviction, a _promise_ lingering in her tone, that Mitsuaki could do nothing but believe her.

"Who is going to stop me, Hinata-sama?" Egumi finally pulled his bruised and battered body from the rubble, a sardonic smirk spread on thin lips. "Look at you, barely holding your stance. I don't know how you're awake, but that doesn't matter." he began to limp through the debris. "No one is going to come for you, they're chasing my false leads and the remaining guards have been...disposed of. The Hyuuga-Uchiha lineage ends here."

"Aki-kun," Hinata still kept her gaze glued to the enemy, chakra-filled veins bulging at the corners of her eyes. "Whenever you make your mind up to do something, you must never give up or give in, not until your last breath. That is what it means to be Uchiha, and that is what it means to be shinobi." She inched forward with her stance until she stood just past Mitsuaki, and scowled. "Egumi-san, you will not _touch_ my son."

He had only ever seen his father fight once during a spar with his uncle Neji, but his mother moved with grace and speed he had not known she could posses. Mitsuaki knew his mother still trained, that she was a shinobi and was considered Oto's elite, but knowing something through hearsay and _watching_ his mother practically glide over to Egumi and slam her palm into his chest as if he were some novice was something else entirely. Even pregnant with twins, his mother radiated power, or perhaps _because_ she carried twins she was stronger, he had no idea. His mother reminded him of the stories of the mother lioness protecting her young, how viciously and terrible she would become to predators. For the first time in his short life, he felt truly awed and even a little fearful of this new and exciting side to his mother.

Egumi recovered quickly, however, and his mother immediately went on the defensive, batting away strikes aimed for her rounded belly. Their hands and feet were almost blurs as they exchanged blows, but his mother sacrificed too many hits to her arms and legs to protect her unborn children. The stress quickly took its toll, for Hinata was still ill. Egumi had also taken some powerful hits, and at his age, simply could not pull in the strikes he so desired.

Mitsuaki's senses went on full alert as a heavy spike of energy filled the room, a veritable darkness that threatened to consume him. His hands clawed at his chest, fighting for air, when a warm and familiar hand settled on top of his head.

"Whatever you do," his father's cold, stoic voice sounded like a dream come true to the small child. "Don't look in our direction."

Then his father literally disappeared, and Sakura-san burst inside, a heavy medical pack strapped to her side. She rushed over to Mitsuaki, her hands glowing with warm green chakra, and his eyes slipped closed right as he heard Egumi let out a blood-curdling scream.

Hinata plastered a smile on her face as she heard Sakura tell her husband just outside the hospital room that she was stabilized, and that the babies were fine. After her battle with Egumi, her body had given out and the heavy amount of stress her chakra system had taken demanded that she either give birth to the twins via-cesarean now a month early, or risk all three of them possibly dying. She couldn't even imagine how many hours had passed since entering, but with enough pain medications swimming through her system now, she couldn't care less. The twins would be brought in shortly, she had been told they were perfectly healthy for being a bit pre-mature, but her motherly instincts cried out to have her children either in her sights or in her arms.

Sasuke entered the room, bringing with him the scents of smoke and fire, and she allowed herself a sigh of relief as her husband moved to sit beside her. She reached for his hand and he gladly interlaced their fingers, bending down until their foreheads touched.

"They're breathing well on their own," he began. "And they're going to try having you feed them in a day or so when you recover from the surgery. They're actually not that underweight, so Sakura says if things go well, we're looking at a week, maybe two, of them having to stay here."

She squeezed his hand, hoping he could sense the waves of love and relief she was sending him. "I'm so glad. Mitsuaki?"

"A few injuries. He had heard Egumi sneaking around and had used one of the escape paths to backtrack to our room. It's how he got the jump on that guy. He strained his heart a little, but a little rest and he'll be fine."

"Oh! Sasuke, he..." she hesitated, not entirely sure how he would react. "Mitsuaki...before I was able to fully wake up and react to Egumi, I saw his eyes. He activated the Sharingan for the first time." her husband's dark eyes widened at the revelation. "It wasn't for long...but still..."

"Hn." He gave her hand a small squeeze, but his expression morphed back into calm neutrality, and his gaze shifted to their joined hands.

"Are you upset?" she asked worriedly.

"Yes...and no." Came the honest answer. "He's growing up, and that's a good thing but..."

_He's growing up too fast._ Hinata guessed, because she felt the exact same way. For her, it felt as if it were only yesterday she had been rocking her baby boy to sleep, and now he was old enough to join the academy and train to become a shinobi. While she did have two new babies to dote on, Mitsuaki was still her son, and she still adored him more than anything. She could only imagine how Sasuke felt, since he had spoiled their first born terribly - which he would probably deny until his final breaths - and had only really become detached due to his duties as Otokage. He would probably not dote on the twins the same way, because he would be too afraid to show favoritism - something he had resented as a child - but Hinata also had a feeling that he and Mitsuaki would have the sort of relationship his father had held with Itachi...although closer on a more emotional level.

At Sasuke's ever growing conflicted expression, she decided to change the subject. "They need a name," she began. "They're both boys."

"I already have a name for one." he said, shooting his wife a grin. "Kachiki."

Hinata blinked. 'A determined or unyielding spirit'. "It's...very fitting. Under the circumstances. Do you know which twin you wanted to name? They did let you see them, didn't they?"

"Yeah, it wasn't just a status report. The younger twin, he was a lot like Mitsuaki when he was a baby. Quiet. The older brother's a screamer. Your side of the family, I bet." he scoffed and chuckled when she pouted and playfully pushed at his arm.

"Ow." She winced as the stitches twinged in warning as she giggled. "You're terrible. Sakura says she doesn't know why I put up with you."

"I'll give you three once you fully recover." he muttered and she decided to pretend not to hear him.

"In any case," she continued, rolling her eyes. "I suppose it's my turn to come up with a name." Sasuke had mentioned the older twin had been loud. Compared to her other two boys, he sounded as if he would be the bolder one of the twins. "Kakan." As soon as the word left her mouth she knew she had made the right decision. "Yes, I think that fits him. Um, I'll spell the kanji if you give me pen and paper."

Her husband glanced over the name after she had written it down and nodded. "I like it. Resolute, determined, definitely bold. They're strong kids, _Hime_."

"They're _our_ kids." She corrected, and the broad grin he gave her brought warmth to her heart. He rarely grinned so boyishly at her, the expression completely transformed his face, making him look more like the young man she had first fallen for all those years ago.

"Yeah." With careful movements, he wrote out Kachiki's name beside his brother's, the same loving gaze he had given Mitsuaki upon first holding him emerging. "Hey, Hinata?"

"Hm?"

"Wanna keep trying until we get a girl? I'll let you name her."

In response, her mouth dropped open and she gaped at him like a fish out of water, but he blinked at her with a perfectly neutral and deceptively innocent expression.

"Um...let me...l-let me think about it." Because at the moment, her initial response of 'hell no are you crazy' would only make Sasuke gloat, and she would _not_ give him the satisfaction of being right.

**AN:** If you just read this, you did **not** read the Introduction chapter I added and you're utterly confused, please go back and read that, as it gives you a complete summary of the events leading up to this fic. I wrote this mostly to give folks some closure regarding the original _Cursed Lineages_ fic, so I hope you enjoy.

Unbeta'd. Apologies for the grammar errors.


	3. Tears

**Tears**

"Are you alright?" Uchiha Mitsuaki had been watching the sobbing girl on the park swing for a while now. Her long blonde hair jutted out at weird angles, wild and unkempt. Dirt marred her chubby pink cheeks, track marks from her tears gave her face a slightly crusted appearance. He knew little of her, only that she hailed from the Akimichi clan, but her tears brought a sense of discomfort he could not explain with only seven years behind him. Any girl crying made him distinctly uncomfortable, yet something about this particular girl made his chest clench and his tummy hot.

His first day in Konoha and already he was dealing with weird people and situations. He should have stayed in the suite with his mother and two new baby brothers.

The girl glanced up at him with wide, soulful blue eyes, her tiny fists bunching up the fabric of her pink dress. Her response to his inquiry was to hiccup and turn her gaze away with a frown. The blatant rejection stung a little, and were he a meaner boy he would have simply walked away. Instead, he shifted from foot to foot, eyeing her sharply. The need to fix the problem, to make her smile and feel better felt on par with similar attempts with his cousin Teru. He almost let a sigh escape; girls were so difficult.

"Well, here." digging in his pocket, he pulled out his handkerchief. His mother had made it for him, his initials sewn into the dark blue fabric. The Uchiha crest resided on the other side, embroidered on the bottom left corner. The girl glanced down at the offering, confusion clouding her watery gaze before locking gazes with him, searching for sincerity. After a long, strained moment, she reached out hesitantly and gingerly took the cloth. She stared down at the initials, her fingers running over the cotton, but she made no move to wipe her face or blow her nose.

"I'm sorry you're crying." he said. A giddy feeling washed over him as she clutched his handkerchief to her chest like a priceless jewel. He could say with confidence he had done the right thing. "I hope you feel better." Mitsuaki glanced up at the darkening sky, the soft glow of street lights turning on signaling his need to return to his parents. "Well, I should go. Keep that, I don't mind."

He managed only a few steps when she called out to him. Unlike Teru and Uzumaki Akina, this girl's voice came out soft and delicate instead of harsh and demanding. "W-wait!" she cried. He halted and turned to her, waiting patiently for her to continue.

Her earlier courage fled, however, and she pulled the cloth up to her face like a shield. She cast her eyes downward, her feet drawing circles into the dirt below. "Your name..."

She spoke so softly he almost missed her words. "I'm Uchiha Mitsuaki." he responded, a small smile tugging at his lips. 

Even he knew the Uchiha name carried weight and rumors within the village, and the way her body stiffened briefly revealed she knew the name. Still, instead of fawning all over him or running away in fear, she only offered him a small, shaky upturn of the lips. "Akimichi Tokou...thank you...Uchiha-san."

Tokou's politeness had him shaking his head with disapproval. "Mitsuaki." he corrected. "Please don't be so formal. I hope the next time we meet, you won't be sad." he flashed her a smile and a small wave, turning his back to her. "See you!" then he took off running, wanting to return to the suite before his parents could worry.

She stared after him long after he left, the handkerchief still at her face. His scent clung to the fabric, a mixture of smoke and fire. When Tokou dabbed at her face, she realized her tears had long since ceased. Her smile widened.

"Mitsuaki-kun..."


End file.
